Chemistry

For many students this was a difficult unit. The concepts are quite abstract. Using actual materials can help. The distinction between element and compound seems confusing much of the time.

Change the information to reflect the experiences you can provide to these students. New and old pennies, rusting nails vs galvanized nails, water and glycerol (both in closed containers) can help them make observations.

Although having all students complete a lab is good, working with small groups might be more realistic. Demonstrations are possible, but where you can, let the students manipulate materials.

One reason that students do labs is so the safety learning makes some sense. The first page identifies key points. The second page was used to talk about how different situations involve particular hazards, and so need specific safety consideration. Adapt SNC1Psafety.doc to experiences these students complete.

This is one way to organize the students to collaborate - if students each complete a card, specific points can be considered when organizing the periodic table.

This assignment requires students to research information, most of which is quite abstract and difficult to read, and then select appropriate passages to paraphrase. This helps prepare the student for the Canadian Satellite project, and requires more independent work than the group nutrient cycle project. This could be done in pairs or groups that represent periodic family groups. This page is the "sign-up" sheet. This is the template to fill in. This is the assignment page. This is the rubric.

Students have some idea of the subatomic particles, but a review of the electron, neutron and proton is also needed.

Pull all their work together to show the Periodic Table. Adding a drawing showing the electron configuration shows a pattern. At first the space can include numbers e= p= n= to show the pattern. They don't need to show the full Bohr-Rutherford, but having some sense of the electron configuration is a central concept to the organization of the periodic table. (Check expectation C3.4). So here the diagrams are intended to show how the elements are organized. Having them already drawn and ready to place in order might be effective. I think there are such periodic tables on the web - maybe white out a few so they can show that they get the pattern.

Here are some things I have found:

Building Models with Marshmellows I found this awkward when they wanted to eat the marshmallows - maybe they have to show their model before they can eat it. Safety Board Game - I made dice and they will roll a dice that says T/F, MC, or WHMIS

That's all the 'cool' stuff. Talia